Filler for pipe-joints.



J. R. McWANE. FILLER FOR PIPEJDINTS- APPLICATION FILED JUNE l5, I916.

1,2%@,61L Patented Nova 27, 1917.

WITNESSES ATTORNEY FILLER FOR PIPE-JOINTS.

meanest.

specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. fit, 191%.

Application filed June 15, 1918. Eerie! No. 103,904.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, Juan R. MOWANE, a citizen of'the United States, residing at Birmingham,in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented a new and useful Filler for Pipe-Joints, of which the following isea specification. Y i

This invention has reference to fillers for pipe joints.

In bell and spigot lead-packed joints it is necessary to first pack jute or other like material in the bottom of the packing space to center the pipe and prevent the lead from running into the pipe. .The space required for this jute packing is larger than is necessary for the lead required for packing purposes only, but the space cannot be reducedbecause of the difficulty of'driving the jute packing into a smaller space than is now used. The result is that there'is a large dead space that must be filled with either lead or jute.

When the dead space is filled with jute there is formed a cushion which is not desirable in calking the lead. Good practice therefore, demands that thedead space be filled. with lead. The lead, from the apex of the lead ring or groove to the jute, constitutes only an' expensive filler, not being ef fective in forming the joint.

The object of the invention is to substitute for the unnecessary lead a cheaper filler constituting at the same time an efiective device for automatically tightening the joint when disturbed after installation and therefore there is efl'ected a material reduction in the cost of joint material while the efficiency of the joint is materially increased. 7 In accordance with the present inventionthe ordinary commercial type of bell and spigot cast iron pipe may be employed to be initially packed, close to the shoulder of the bell, where receiving the spigot end of the pipe, with jute, and against such jute packing there is applied a series of blocks formed of metal or other material and preferably spaced and joined into a ring by a flexible connector, the continuity of the ring being broken at one or more points for convenience of application of the ring. Then more jute is added, and finally lead is applied in the usual way, completmg the joint, but because of the presence of the ring the quantit of lead needed is materially decreased. he blocks are preferably in the form-of double taper wedges with intervening flats tailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, with the further understanding that while the drawings show a practical form of the invention, the latter is not confined'to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings, but may be changed and modified so long as such changes and modifications come within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure l is a view of a string of connected wedge blocks laid out flat, the view being taken from what constitutes the inner face when such string of blocks is applied in the form of a ring to the pipe joint.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l but of the opposite face.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal central section of the structure of Fig. 1, the section being taken along the line of the connecting wire.

Fig. 4 is a cross-section of one of the wledge blocks of Fig. 1 showing the wire in p ace.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal diametric section of a completed joint.

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

eferring to the drawings there is shown the bell end 1 and spigot end 2 of a commercial form of cast iron pipe. The bell end 1 has the usual internal bottoming shoulder 3 and circumferential shoulders 4 and 4 within the bell near the mouth thereof. The spigot end 2 is rovided with the usual external terminal ead 5.

.There is also provided a string of wedge blocks 6. Each block in the showing of the drawing is of rectangular outline with the ends tapering to form wedge surfaces 7 and these wedge surfaces are spaced apart by a plateau 8 on the same face of the block as the wedges 7. The side edges of each block are beveled, asindicated at 9, and the several blocks are cast upon a wire 10 in suificiently close edge to edge relation so that the series of blocks may be formed into a ring of approximately circular form with the sides inclose, though not necessarily touchin relation. The wire 10 is fast to the blocis ter, the blocks being ordinarily somewhat longer than wide, sothat the blocks when formed into a rin may be rocked on the wire connector suthciently to form the ring into frusto-conical contour with the wedge portions of one edge of the ring of less diameter than the Wedge portions of the other edge of the rin In this manner the ring of blocks or we ges fits against the interior of the bell adjacent to the shoulder 4 with the more expanded wedge edge presented toward the mouth of the bell, while the other wedge edge of the ring is close to or in contact with the spi 0t end of the pipe introduced into the In assembling the parts the spigot 2 is introduced into the bell 1 and then a small quantity 11 of jute is first driven up in the usual manner, after which the ring of blocks 6 constituting a filler is inserted, and this is followed by more jute 11, which forces that edge of the filler ring toward the mouth of the bell over into the customary lead receiving groove of which the shoulder 4 forms one wall, the outer or rear faces of the blocks 6 bearing against the'other portion of the wall of the lead receiving groove.

Finally lead is poured into the bell and calked as in the ordinary practice, the lead anchoring against the shoulder 4, and, pressing on the corresponding wedge ends 7 of the various blocks 6 of the filler ring, forces these blocks against the remaining wall l of the lead-receiving groove in the bell.

The filler providesa backing or foundation againstwhich to calk the lead, making it possible to drive the lead into the lead receiving groove with much less labor than heretofore.

.When pressure comes on to the lead either from the ordinary internal to force the latter out of the joint, the face of the wedge forces the lead over against the pipe and up against the lead ring or groove, thereby making the joint tighter. The stronger the pressure exerted from the inside to force the lead out, the tighter the joint becomes, so that the 'filler actually serves as a tightening wedge filler.

it has been proven both by theory and practice that a cast iron pipe must have two opposing factors, that is, rigidity and flexibil ty. It follows then that the perfect joint is the one in which these two opposing factors meet at the proper point. Otherwise the joint becomes. either too rigid or too flexible. The perfect joint must have midway of the length of the latressure within the pipe or from settling o the pipe joint and consequent leverage on the lead tending certain point and then yield. It must have enough flexibility to permit deflection when such-point is reached, but without leaking.

In tests made upon a four inch pipe joint containing the present invention, the pipe at the joint was deflected seven and onehalf inches from alinement and subjected toan internal hydrostatic pressure of three hundred pounds, without any indication of leakage, even though the lead was squeezed out of the joint at what then constituted the bottom portion thereof to an extent of one-eighth of an inch. Such test was only one of a long series of tests, but the results were all similar.

'With the joint of the present invention there is a saving of about fifty per cent. of lead. There is obtained a fuller expansion of the lead into the lead ring or groove with less labor than heretofore. The rigidity of the joint is increased while still retaining sufiicient flexibility. Moreover, the joint becomes actually and positively tighter under pressure or deflection than has heretofore been the case with ordinary cast iron pipe.

The joint is also cheaper in installation than is the case with the ordinary lead joint. Taking a four inch joint as an example with the filler costing a customer twenty cents, the saving in lead amounts to approximately thirty-four cents with lead at nine cents a pound, so that the net saving is fourteen. cents per joint, or one dollar a ton of standard water pipe, with the further advantage of obtaining a better joint than is obtainable with ordinary cast iron pipe by the ordinary mode of forming the oint.

While the invention has been described with particular reference to cast-iron 'pipe it is to be understood that it may be used a end of a pipe as a circular series after the spigot is applied, and constituting a backing for sealing material occupying the mouth portion of the bell aboutthe spigot.

2. A filler for joints of bell and spigot pipe, comprising a series of flexibly connected relatively thin blockswith opposite faces substantially fiat and arranged edge to edge, said series of blocks being introducible 1n the form of a circular series into the packing the spigot end of the next 7. A filler for the joints 0 ea set of relatively thin wedge blocks having oppo=- site faces substantially flat, the blocks being arranged edge to edge and introdueible in the form of a circular series into the paeln.

ing space in the bell to constitute a backing for sealing material located in the mouth portion of the bell.

5. A filler for joints oi bell and spigot pipe, comprising a series of blocks arranged edge to edge to be introduced into the bell portion of the joint as a circular series and the edges of the blocks other than those edges adjacent to neighboring blocks being i'ormed into wedges directed toward the base of the bell and toward the mouth thereof when in place, whereby those wedge edges toward the mouth of the bell constitute a backing for sealing material introduced into the mouth of the bell. V i

6. A filler for joints of bell and spigot pipe, comprisin a series of blocks formed into wed es at t e o posits ends and beveled at the e es tower the same iaceto constitute a filling ring when introduced into the bell end of a pipe already containing pipe in order.

bell and spigot pipes, comprising a series or flexibly connected blocksarranged edge to edge and suificient in number to form a ring within the bell end of the pipe about the spigot introduced thereinto, the blocks havmg their opposite ends thinned to constitute Wedges and their edges beveled toward the same face to conform to the circular shape of the bell and spigot.

8. A filler for jointsof bell and spigot pipe, comprising a series of metal blocks each with opposite ends of wedge shape and opposite ed es beveled toward the same face, and a flexib e wire joining the blocks and e tendin lengthwise of the series intermedi" ately etween the Wedge ends on the face of the block remote from that containing the wed e ends. I a

9. A ller for joints of hell and spigot pipe, comprisin a series of metal blocks each with opposite ends of wedge shape and the sides beveled, and a flexible wire joining the blocks and extending lengthwise of the series intermediately between the wedge ends on the face of the block remote from that containing the wedge ends, said blocks being cast about the wire to permanently unite the blocks and wire together.

10. A filler for joints of beil and spigot pipe, comprising a series of wedge blocks 1ntroducible into the packing space between the month end and the bottom ofthe bell and of a thickness sufficiently less than the width of the packing space to rock therein and force the packing material toward the mouth end of the bell and compress it between the shoulder of the packing groove and the introduced pipe when the ipe joint settles and gets out of its installe osition.

11'. Afiller for joints of bell an spigot pipe, comprising a flexibly joined series of Wedge blocks arranged in edge to ed e order and shaped to assume in the joint te form of a conical ring to constitute a backing against which lead introduced into the bell part of the joint may be calked.

12. A filler for the joints of hell and spigot pipe, comprising a series of blocks of I greater width than thlckness and arranged 1n edge to edge relation with the blocks joined together and movable when the series of blocks is lodged in the joint into the form of a conical ring to constitutea resistant backing or anvil against which to calk lead introduced into the joint. I

In testimony, that l claim the foregoing as m own, I have hereto afixed my s1gnature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAWS R. McWANE.

Witnesses:

JOHN H. Sreonns, E. G. Siemens. 

